Pep Guardiola apologised on Monday after being accused of putting extra pressure on managers at England’s top teams by announcing he will coach in the Premier League next season. The Bayern Munich boss was accused by former England striker Alan Shearer in a British daily newspaper of lacking “etiquette” after not making clear where he would coach next season. Guardiola, said Shearer, had “put more pressure on those in the hotseats at Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal”. But, speaking in Doha, Qatar, where Bayern Munich are on the last day of a winter training camp, Guardiola said it had…
Author: David Folami
Fifa expressed their regret on Friday over Pep Guardiola’s absence from Monday’s Ballon d’Or awards where he is in the running for coach of the year. The Spaniard is skipping the ceremony in Zurich to oversee Bayern Munich’s training camp in Qatar. “It is certainly a great shame that one of the finalists for manager of the year, Pep Guardiola, just like the players named in the Fifa/FifPro XI, cannot take part in person at the ceremony,” Fifa noted in a statement. But world football’s ruling body “understands that for sporting reasons the club’s winter camp has priority”. Bayern, already…
Former Germany captain Philipp Lahm has slammed Fifa’s Ballon d’Or award for the world player of the year as nothing more than a “marketing prize”. The Bayern Munich full-back said the award favoured “the most popular players” over more deserving ones. Barcelona star Lionel Messi was handed the award for a record fifth time at a ceremony in Zurich on Monday. He and Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo have shared the last eight Ballon d’Or awards between them. “I think if Fifa wants to attribute a reward, it mustn’t be a marketing prize that only honours the most celebrity individuals…
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri may have been labelled the ‘Tinkerman’ when he was in charge of Chelsea but now he wants to be the “crazy man” who scares the Premier League’s established big clubs. The Italian was mocked for constantly altering his line-up during his first spell in English football at Chelsea from 2000 to 2004. But he has received praise rather than criticism this season for overseeing Leicester’s shock transformation from relegation candidates to title contenders. The Midlands club are level on points with Premier League leaders Arsenal and seven ahead of Manchester United in one of the most…
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has signed a new contract, the English Premier League club announced Monday. Although Liverpool’s statement did not specify the duration of the extension, Britain’s Press Association said that Mignolet’s new deal meant he would stay at Anfield for a further five years until 2021. The Belgium international had more clean sheets to his name than any other Premier League goalkeeper in 2015, but recently he has found himself in the firing line after making some high-profile errors. However, he now finds himself still very much a part of new Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s plans. “I’m very…
Liverpool’s Premier League defeat against bitter rivals Manchester United has hurt their ambitions of breaking into the top four but the club will not give up hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, captain Jordan Henderson has said. A Luis Suarez-inspired Liverpool finished second in the 2013-14 season to return to Champions League football after a gap of four years. But the Uruguayan striker left at the end of that campaign and the Reds went on to finish sixth the following term. After Sunday’s 1-0 loss, Juergen Klopp’s men find themselves ninth in the table after 22 games, eight points…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted he is charge of transfer policy at Anfield after sacked predecessor Brendan Rodgers revealed players were forced upon him. Last weekend, Rogers gave an interview in which he said Mario Balotelli, now on loan at AC Milan after a poor debut season on Merseyside, was an example of a signing over whom he had no control. Liverpool’s transfer committee, comprising the manager, representatives of the scouting department and senior management staff, has been widely criticised after several poor signings. But Klopp was adamant he had the last word on signings, although he accepted there…
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Mrs Maryam Uwais as his Special Adviser for Social Protection Plan. Buhari is said to have appointed Mrs Uwais, who is a lawyer, weeks ago, according to Premium Times. She has reportedly been assigned to the office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to coordinate the government’s social protection schemes. Before her appointment, Mrs Uwais was a Principal Partner at Wali-Uwais & Co., an Abuja law firm. She is the wife of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammadu Uwais.
The Committee for the Defence of Democracy (CDD) has accused the federal government of planning to arrest former president, Goodluck Jonathan. The allegation was contained in a statement released by CDD Publicity Secretary, Comrade Akindele Lawson on Monday, January 18, 2016. The statement reads: “It is already eight months in the life of the Buhari government and all we have continued to hear is that our problems were caused by the last administration, without anything pointing towards a rescue plan by this government.” “It is on record that despite the difficulties that the Jonathan administration faced in procuring arms from…
President Muhammadu Buhari is currently attending the World Future Energy Summit in the United Arab Emirates. Buhari left Nigeria on Sunday, January 17, 2016, to attend the summit as part of a three day official visit. Also participating in the event are Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi among others.
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu has denied reports that he is ill. Kanu’s counsel, Vincent Obetta also said that rumours that the Biafra leader was being tortured by the Department of State Services (DSS) are false, The Cable reports. “I would like to say that as a solicitor and advocate of the federal republic of Nigeria, I have sworn to an oath, to defend the defenceless and above all, to say the truth and be fair to all, at all material times,” Obetta said in a statement. “Having said that, I must add that I have been…
Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, on Monday said that the government would undertake a verification of all workers on the payroll of the state and local governments. Tambuwal announced this when he received the National President of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE, Mr Ibrahim Khalil, in Sokoto. The governor was quoted in a statement by his media aide, Imam Imam, as saying that the exercise was “to reposition the civil service.” “We will carry out full verification to ascertain the number of workers we have at the state and local government levels.” The governor said that the…
he Senate, in its response to a comment attributed to Chief Bisi Akande, the former interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the APC chieftain is frustrated. Chief Akande reportedly said the fact that the 2016 budget got missing, shows that the Senators are not disciplined. Speaking on behalf of the Senate, its spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said “We have said it several times that the budget was not missing. That two versions of the details of the budget exist and this is no longer in doubt as the Presidency has equally admitted this. “We expect…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that former president, Goodluck Jonathan is to blame for the fall of the naira against the dollar. The APC also said that the financial recklessness of the Jonathan government put Nigeria’s economy in trouble. The comments were made by the APC’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank during an interview with Vanguard on Sunday, January 18, 2016. “Personally, I am worried about the current situation of the economy but again I am letting you know it is not our fault because this is what we met. We met a bastardised system,” Frank…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has distanced itself from some of its members who are being tried for corruption. The PDP said further that it cannot take responsibility for the charges against the accused persons, which include spokesman, Olisa Metuh and former Board of Trustees Chairman, Tony Anenih. The comments were made by the PDP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdullahi Jalo, according to Voice of America. “Let us call a spade a spade. There is money allocated to purchase arms to fight Boko Haram, which is an act of the National Assembly, and then instead of the money to be…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might be planning to change its name in a bid to distance itself from corrupt party members. This was disclosed by a PDP member who is currently in office during an extraordinary meeting of the party in Lagos on Friday, January 15, 2016, according to The Tribune. “As it is now, it is very easy to blackmail the party and the identity with all these alleged corruption probes. I will be pushing for a new name and identity for the party,” the source said. Other chieftains of the party were said to have advocated a…
Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has denied reports that he granted an interview during which he purportedly said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would stop President Muhammadu Buhari from being re-elected in 2019. Tinubu also described the supposed interview as “libel” and “the latest work of political deceit.” His comments were contained in a statement released by his media office on Friday, January 15, 2016. It reads: “The writer, Amako Nneji, concocted the latest work of political deceit. No sane reporters would dare put their true names to this screed; it is pure libel.…
The Mavins crew and its leader Don Jazzy were the host of a dinner party organised to celebrate their achievement in year 2015. Mavins stars were all present at the party, that held no promise for peace, due to the unexpected celebrity rivalry that has become prominent. Earlier in January 2016, a social media battle ensued between Don Jazzy and Olamide based on a disagreement at the Headies Award.
Is Mariah Carey’s new billionaire boyfriend asking her to stop fighting with ex-husband, Nick Cannon? According to The National Enquirer, James Parker says he won’t marry Carey unless she ends all feuds with her ex. The site claims the former couple has been at each other’s throats because of money. “Mariah has been playing hardball over money and custody issues,” a source tells the outlet, “but Packer is fed up with the endless bickering between Mariah and Nick.” The magazine’s alleged source claims he warned Carey that her and Cannon’s twins Moroccan and Monroe will “wind up the victims if…
Yesterday (January 17) it was reported that Ice Prince’s girlfriend Maima Nkewa was allegedly cheating on him. According to the story, Maima Nkewa is cheating on the Chocolate City rapper with an Abuja based man known as Akinbode. He allegedly paid for her chest piercing and paid for her trips to London and Paris. Possibly reacting to the report, Ice Prince tweeted that he was ‘upset’. Read his other tweets below; panshak zamani ✔ @Iceprincezamani Lol these men will do anyyyything to break up me and my girl tho…. Smh… Even the married ones?!? Sigh just go to church bro.…